Cowell: Verstappen rumors a ‘flattering’ sign for Aston Martin

Aston Martin team boss Andy Cowell has described last summer’s rumors linking Max Verstappen to the Silverstone squad as a welcome validation of the team’s growing reputation – even if the Dutchman was never truly in play.

Before Christian Horner’s Red Bull exit, the paddock was buzzing with speculation over Verstappen’s future. Red Bull’s mid-season wobble put focus on the performance clauses in his contract, but with the world champion sitting comfortably inside the top three, they never came into effect.

Verstappen himself later ended the debate by affirming his commitment to Red Bull through 2026.

Even so, that didn’t stop the rumor mill from spinning – and Aston Martin’s name found its way into the mix alongside Mercedes. Reports of a billion-dollar bid were quickly dismissed, but the mere association caught Cowell’s attention.

“Ever since Lawrence bought the team, his words have been backed up with action,” Cowell said. “When you see the campus, when you see the investment he's got inside the campus, when you see his approach on recruiting people like Adrian [Newey], he's determined.

“At which point, the whole paddock can see that there's a determination to go from a team that was about survival to a team that is here to win.”

“Flattering” Interest from F1’s Biggest Name

With Adrian Newey joining as managing technical partner and Honda supplying its engines from 2026, Aston Martin has made clear it wants to play at the sharp end of the grid. For Cowell, the Verstappen rumors were less a distraction and more a compliment.

“Max showing media interest – I don't know what the right phrase is – but Max showing media interest is flattering,” he said. “In his opinion, he can see that this is a team that's determined and that is taking the right steps.”

Cowell even laughed off Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s joke that any team principal would “do a handstand” to sign Verstappen. “I'm not very good at handstands! Even in a swimming pool, I struggle,” he quipped.

Focus on the Car, Not the Gossip

Behind the light-hearted remarks, Cowell emphasized a more serious goal: to make Aston Martin a team every top driver in the paddock – not just Verstappen – dreams of joining.

“We are really fortunate that we've got Lance and Fernando, who've got great experience, carrying across through to at least the end of 2026,” he said. “That means we've got drivers that we can just chat to openly about next year.

“When I chat to Adrian and when I chat to all the engineers, what we're determined to do is to come up with a really fast race car. And then we want every single driver with a superlicence to want to drive our car.”

For Cowell, that’s the ultimate validation – not rumors or speculation, but performance. And if Aston Martin can keep delivering on its ambitious plans, Verstappen won’t be the last superstar linked to the team.

Read also: Cowell hails ‘exciting’ Aston Martin-Honda shift as works era nears

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook